Moses' Worst Fear
Deuteronomy 29:15-18
Moses knows us; he knows we will be tempted by other's gods. He uses every way possible to convince us to avoid being seduced into other beliefs. His efforts to convince the people standing before him to keep their beliefs strong is essential because their continued existence depends on it.
The strategy used traditionally was to paint the alternatives as repulsive so we would not be tempted to stray.
The modern and reform strategy is more difficult. We recognize that there are other paths that are not necessarily bad. But we want to make the Jewish ways such that we embrace them and do not want to follow other ways.
In Biblical times the Pagan cultures did horrific things such as child sacrifice that by today’s standards is repulsive. Today different faiths are less repugnant and we can see that others do live by moral and acceptable standards. It is necessary to understand Moses' fear that his people must not cease to exist, but at the same time to find a balance of tolerance to live side by side with those of other beliefs.
We are exposed to so many 'unhealthy' ideas and ways of life and after a while those ways don't seem so bad and we are tempted to try them. Often intellectual curiosity can turn into an obsession and become seductive. We do have 'fetishes' that sometimes seem as if they have 'powers' and are those 'other gods'. Whether it is a symbol of our belief such as the mezuzah or a product of today's innovation like a computer, we sometimes try to find spiritual powers in things that surround us.
There is sometimes a fine line between superstition and belief. We need to understand Moses' fear to assure that our beliefs stay strong and we continue to follow the mitzvot and especially the first commandment.
Moses knows us; he knows we will be tempted by other's gods. He uses every way possible to convince us to avoid being seduced into other beliefs. His efforts to convince the people standing before him to keep their beliefs strong is essential because their continued existence depends on it.
The strategy used traditionally was to paint the alternatives as repulsive so we would not be tempted to stray.
The modern and reform strategy is more difficult. We recognize that there are other paths that are not necessarily bad. But we want to make the Jewish ways such that we embrace them and do not want to follow other ways.
In Biblical times the Pagan cultures did horrific things such as child sacrifice that by today’s standards is repulsive. Today different faiths are less repugnant and we can see that others do live by moral and acceptable standards. It is necessary to understand Moses' fear that his people must not cease to exist, but at the same time to find a balance of tolerance to live side by side with those of other beliefs.
We are exposed to so many 'unhealthy' ideas and ways of life and after a while those ways don't seem so bad and we are tempted to try them. Often intellectual curiosity can turn into an obsession and become seductive. We do have 'fetishes' that sometimes seem as if they have 'powers' and are those 'other gods'. Whether it is a symbol of our belief such as the mezuzah or a product of today's innovation like a computer, we sometimes try to find spiritual powers in things that surround us.
There is sometimes a fine line between superstition and belief. We need to understand Moses' fear to assure that our beliefs stay strong and we continue to follow the mitzvot and especially the first commandment.
posted by Chavarah @ 6:09 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home